The invention relates to a method for operating a management system having at least one manager and one agent.
According to the principles of a management network, also called TMN (Telecommunications Management Network) principles, there are a plurality of management layers for the management of a communication system—such as, for example, of a mobile radio communication system—, wherein each layer, with the exception of the topmost and bottommost layer, has a dual function, namely a manager function and an agent function.
The network management can comprise, among other things, the fault management and/or the configuration management and/or the security management and/or the accounting management and/or the performance management. The network management is intended to provide suitable mechanisms for information distribution and administration so that, if necessary, a comprehensive picture of the state of the network is available and the individual resources of the telecommunication network can be monitored and configured efficiently.
With respect to mobile radio communication systems, there are management interfaces, for example between the network element management level, on the one hand, and the network element level, on the other hand. An example of network facilities of this manager-agent interface is represented by the operation and maintenance centers (OMC) at the network element management level and network element level facilities such as, e.g. base stations of the base station system (BSS) of a GSM mobile radio network or base stations of other communication networks, for example node Bs of a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) mobile radio network or radio access points of a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) system, for example according to one of the IEEE 802.11 standards. There are also management interfaces and manager/agent interfaces, respectively, between the network management level, on the one hand, and the network element management level, on the other hand. An example of network facilities for this manager/agent interface is represented by the network management centers (NMC) at the network management level and the operation and maintenance centers (OMC) at the network element management level, e.g. in the said UMTS or another mobile radio or telecommunication network.
It is possible that there are facilities in a management system which have untriggered hardware. This means that the relevant facilities cannot use the potential performance of this hardware before it is triggered. Such a situation occurs, e.g. when the manufacturer of the respective facility has equipped it with hardware which the purchaser of the facility does not need at this time or is not prepared to pay for. Triggering usually occurs in that a person authorized to perform triggering interrupts the operation of the facility at the location of the respective facility and performs the required measures for triggering.